How to Assemble a Hillary Tent

by Nathaniel Miller

Hillary tents are manufactured by three different tent companies and sold by Sears department stores. Options range from backpacking dome tents to large-scale family dome tents with covered picnic flies. Almost all of the tents come with a rainfly and according to Sears, Edmund Hillary (the first man to summit Mt. Everest) was their camping equipment advisor for over 40 years. Hillary tested the tents that carry his name on numerous occasions. Assembling Hillary tents is not difficult.

Find a level, dry surface large enough to place your tent on and then decide which way you want the door to face. Remove any rocks, sticks, or debris from the ground and then unfold your ground cloth and spread it out where you are going to place your tent.

Pull the tent out of the bag and unroll it on top of the ground cloth. Have your helper assist in locating the door in the correct location and then find the tent stakes. Use the hammer to pound a stake into each corner loop and into the loop at the center of each side.

Unfold all of the tent poles and lay them next to one another. Consult the instruction manual to determine which pole goes where; however in general the two longest poles extend diagonally through the cloth sleeves from each corner (crossing in the center of the tent) and the short pole will keep the rainfly taut. Insert the poles in their respective cloth sleeves and secure the ends at each corner.

Unfold the rainfly, insert the appropriate pole into the cloth sleeve and then spread the rainfly over the top of the tent. Use the provided hooks at the corners of the rain fly to attach the fly to the corners of the tent.

Items you will need

Helper

Ground cloth (tarpulane)

Hammer

Hillary tent

Tip

Before you go camping, use latex water sealant to seal all of the seams to prevent leakage in the event of a rainstorm or dew.

Warning

Be cautious when assembling and bending the poles as they can break and shatter, throwing potentially dangerous shards everywhere.